Noble task of attorney general
Noble task of attorney general
From Media Indonesia
As a layman with no connections to any political parties, I felt sad and greatly concerned upon hearing the cynical remarks made in the mass media by the deputy chairman of Commission II of the House of Representatives (DPR) on the attorney general's move to interrogate a number of political figures for alleged corruption. My reasons to feel that way are as follows:
1. Commission II of the House showed its one-sidedness and lack of wisdom when it unfavorably considered the attorney general as serving as a tool of the executive institution. This unfavorable comment does not support the attorney general's steps and will only intensify the tension among the disputing political elite.
2. The attorney general is also taking measures to interrogate a number of business magnates close to the President. So he is not after only political figures. Baharuddin Lopa was installed in June 2001 and has started to examine the cases that his predecessors failed to deal with. His step is praiseworthy although in the eyes of the community, the government's attempt to eradicate corruption is a bit too late.
3. The cynical remarks made by deputy chairman of Commission II of the House clearly show the public that the House is only concerned with the political interests of a particular group, purportedly claiming to act on behalf of the people. This negative perception of the legislative Assembly has taken hold in the mind-set of the people in general. It will be very difficult to shake off this perception unless the House makes several moves that, according to the public, represent their interests.
4. It is the law, not politics, that all national components, including national leaders, must stick to if the final goal is to establish a just and prosperous Indonesia. Prosperity is possible only if the law and justice are served.
5. The use of a legal aspect in politics is the right step to take and it is coupled with a high degree of morality. It is, therefore, wrong to say that it is tantamount to relegating the law as a mere tool of the executive power.
6. It is erroneous to uphold a political process without heeding the legal substance because the resulting political process will not come up with the best solution and will instead become a source of problems today and in the future.
Take the President's alleged involvement in Bruneigate and Bulogate. The then attorney general, Marzuki Darusman, stated that the President was not involved in them. However, the political process toward the convening of the plenary session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) specially intended to ask the President to submit his accountability report in relation to these two scams. Is this political process worth imitating by the young generation, the future breed of our leaders? I hope all legislators in the House will, in all their nobleness of purpose and clarity of mind, be able to forget their egotism for a while and contemplate upon this crucial matter, which is expected to generate side effects on the generation of future leaders.
I also hope that all the political elite will support the attorney general's efforts to investigate the corruption cases, which have brought untold sufferings to the people and inflicted huge losses to the state.
The public believes that Baharuddin Lopa, known as a straightforward, honest and fair person, is really serious in his pursuit to enforce the law and ensure that major corruption cases will be brought to court.
May God bestow upon Baharuddin Lopa and his family happiness and a smooth performance at his job. If he is successful in enforcing the legal supremacy in Indonesia, his name will go down in world history as the one resembling the famous Judge Pao in Chinese films.
KATHLEEN H. HORMAN
Jakarta